FAVORITE PHOTO

 

 The 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge by Amy Johnson Crowe for January 18 is

"Favorite Photo"

This is my favorite. Isn't it neat? Don't you love the clothing? On the right a bit of the Gibson Girl look with the large hat; a leg o' mutton sleeve on the left, and in the center the gentleman's straw boater? The photo is from 1910. It was taken in Brooklyn, at Coney Island. 

On the right is my mother's mother. Her name at the time was Margaret Charles McCann, but her nickname was Pearl. She was 24 in this photo. It's her handwriting on the right side of the photo.

The woman on the left is her Aunt Mary "Minnie" Sherlock McCann, who was her mom's sister. She was about 34 years old.

In the center is Minnie's husband, Michael James "Jim" McCann, who I believe, was Pearl's dad's nephew. If he wasn't a nephew, he was related to her dad. He would've been 41 here.

Minnie and Jim were on an extended visit from Belfast, Ireland. Pearl's parents had emigrated from there a few years before Pearl was born.

Here's the back of the post card. The card was addressed to Minnie's mother:

The description printed on the card says it's from Somach's Studios, Loop the Loop, Surf Avenue, Balmer's Walk, Coney Island, N.Y.  I have a feeling they weren't really at the Loop the Loop ride at Coney Island, maybe just at a photo studio with a backdrop or mock up of a car from the Loop the Loop? The Loop the Loop itself was taken down in 1910 so it may already have been gone when this photo was taken? 

The address on the postcard is the one my grandmother's grandfather's (Minnie's dad) was living at when he passed away in 1941. How my grandmother got the postcard, I don't know. I do know she visited her grandfather with her parents and my mom in 1935. Perhaps he gave it to her then?

Here is a photo of Surf Avenue with the Loop the Loop.  

Link to the site online where the photo is from:  

https://d1lfxha3ugu3d4.cloudfront.net/images/opencollection/objects/size4/1996.164.8-B10221_glass_SL1.jpg

Here is a closer photo and of the ride. 

Link: https://www.coneyislandhistory.org/blog/today-history-national-roller-coaster-day

Great Great Uncle Tom McGuinn

When my paternal grandmother, Brigid ("Bea") Harrington emigrated from County Mayo, Ireland, to New York City in 1922, she was supposed to stay with her older sister, Mary Anne. But Mary Anne's name was crossed out on the ship's document in NYC, and her maternal uncle's name was written in. I don't know what happened, but I wonder was it because it was unsuitable (in those times) for a newly arrived single woman to stay with another single woman? The uncle she went to stay with was her maternal Uncle Thomas (Tom) McGuinn, in New York City. His address was 450 W. 18th Street, Manhattan, NY.

My Aunt Bea, Grandma Bea's daughter, told me that Grandma said Uncle Tom didn't like city life; he wanted to go back to farming. Grandma's daughter also told me that my Grandma always wondered what happened to Uncle Tom. She knew he'd bought a farm in Pennsylvania, but nothing else. Even though neither Grandma nor her daughter are around for me to tell them what happened to Uncle Tom, I wanted to find out. 

In collaboration with a cousin in the UK, Chris King, we found out lots online about Uncle Tom: his birth, censuses in the UK, his emigration to the US, living with his sister in NYC, his purchase of land in Pennsylvania, and his death there. Since Uncle Tom never married, I wondered who the land had gone to. In September 2021 my sister, Joan McLaughlin and I took a cross country trip from Virginia to California. One of the stops we made was to the county where he lived in Pennsylvania, Crawford County, to find out more.

But first, some facts and images about Uncle Tom. He was born some time in November 1873, and baptized on 30 November 1873. The family's last name was spelled various ways, and one way it was spelled is as you see it here: McGuin. He was most likely baptized in St. James Catholic Church in Lowpark Court, an area outside Charlestown, County Mayo. The family lived in Glann, in the Catholic parish of Curina. His parents were John McGuinn and Mary Kelly. His sponsor Bridget Kelly was most likely a relative:

From Ireland, Catholic Parish Registers, 1655-1915, via Ancestry.com

In 1901 this might be him was working on a farm in Flintshire, Hawarden, Wales. He's renting a portion of Thotton Hall Farm; a sharecropper in American English:

From 1901 Wales Census via Ancestry.com

In 1905 he emigrated to New York City. He arrived on Feb 9. His name was written as McQuinn; he was 28; he was going to stay with his sister Mary [McGuinn] Miller on Harrison Street in Brooklyn. His occupation is laborer:

From N.Y. Passenger Lists via Ancestry.com

He immigrated to the US in time to make the 1905 NY State Census on June 1, 1905. They are no longer on Harrison Street in Brooklyn, they're at 44 Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn:

From the 1905 N.Y. State Census via Ancestry.com

In 1915 he was still living with his sister, Mary and her children. One is named Thomas! They're at 441 W. 28th Street in Manhattan. That's the Chelsea area of Manhattan. His occupation is laborer:

From 1915 N.Y. State Census via Ancestry.com

In 1918 he had to register for the draft for WWI. He was 45 years old. He was a checker for the Lehigh Valley RR at Pier 66 in Manhattan. He was of medium height, stout, with blue eyes and gray hair. He was still not a citizen, and hadn't even declared his intention to become one. He's living at 433 W. 24th St, Manhattan: 

WWI Draft Registration Card via Ancestry.com

Finally, in 1925, Uncle Tom declared his intention to become a citizen. He was 49, a delivery clerk, 5 feet 5 inches, 195 lbs, grey-brown hair, blue eyes, and living at 442 9th Avenue. I have not yet found his final citizenship papers.

New York, U.S., State and Federal Naturalization Records, 1794-1943 from Ancestry.com

Then, in 1928 he bought a farm in Athens Township, Crawford County, Pennsylvania. It was located on what is now Schauberger Road, between Centerville Rd., and Jones Rd:

Titusville Herald from Newspapers.com via Ancestry.com

Crawford County, PA, assessor's office record accessed September 2021

I have no idea what the area looked like when Uncle Tom bought it, but when we visited in September 2021, the area was very pretty. It was on a dirt road. The road was a hill. Here are some photos from our trip:

Photo by Carol Neilson

Just past the deck and fenceline would've been his property.

                               Photo by Carol Neilson                                                                                        Photo by Joan McLaughlin

Just past the fenceline would've been his property.                On the left side would've been his property.

Of course it does not go all the way into the distance.

In the 1930 U.S. census he was 53 and still living at his farm:

U.S. Census of 1930 from Ancestry.com

NOW! Here's what we found out about his land and who it went to:  In 1931 Thomas deeded/sold his land to his nephew, Patrick McDonagh, for "$1 and more." However, the deed wasn't filed until 1936. I have not found evidence that Patrick ever lived at the farm. As part of the sale, Patrick had to let Uncle Tom live there until he died and bury him nearby. Patrick roomed at 451 First St., Brooklyn, NY. 

Crawford County PA assessor's office record accessed Sept 2021

In 1935 and 1940 Uncle Tom is still living on the farm in Athens Township. He indicates he is Naturalized, so he did become a citizen! I haven't found that information, yet. But according to his answer in column 25, he is unable to work by 1940. I have no idea how he was able to buy food to eat because in columns 32 & 33 where it's asked the amount of income made/received in 1939, Thomas answered zero.

U.S. Census of 1940 accessed from Ancestry.com

Then on 15 August 1951, Thomas passed away. According to his death certificate, he died at the Crawford County Home and had been there for two months and 14 days. I haven't been able to find out if this was an old folks home or a hospital? He died of general edema as a result of organic heart disease. 

PA archives record accessed via Ancestry.com

He was buried on 20 August 1951 in the McGee Town  (also Mageetown) Cemetery in Crawford County. Now the cemetery is Immaculate Conception Cemetery. It's located in Crawford County. It's about 6 miles from where his farm was.

Image from Google maps

Here's a photo of the cemetery taken in Sept. 2021. It was in a pretty setting surrounded by farms on two sides and woods on two sides. We found no headstone for Uncle Tom.  :(  

Photo by Carol Neilson

This was the closest Catholic church to his farm, so he most likely went to Mass here, and where his funeral mass would have been said. Immaculate Conception Church, Mageetown, founded 1822.  

Photo by Carol Neilson

Patrick McDonagh, the nephew to whom he had sold his farm, then sold the land in 1952. As I said earlier, I haven't found evidence that Patrick ever lived at the farm. However, I did find that his brother, John, stayed with Uncle Tom for a time. Both Patrick and John are sons of Thomas's sister, Bridget "Beezie," who was married to Thomas McDonagh. Both Patrick and John immigrated to NYC. Patrick in 1926 and John in 1928. John spend enough time with Uncle Tom such that the local newspapers in Uncle Tom's area reported on John's time in the U.S. Army during the war. For instance, this piece from the Titusville Herald, May 1942: 

Titusville Herald via Newspapers.com from Ancestry.com

My sister and I had a successful mission: we found out what happened to Uncle Tom's land. He seems to have lived a solitary existence in Pennsylvania, except for the time when his nephew lived with him. I'm glad he at least had that.

(Note: two records I have not been able to find him in, yet: the 1920 U.S. Census, and the 1925 N.Y. State Census. If and when I do find those records, I will add them here.)

Different Language

(This post is part of a genealogy 'challenge' by genealogist Amy Johnson Crow, to write about one's family history: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks. This week's challenge is "Different Language.")

My dad's mother, Bridget ("Bea") Harrington [McLaughlin], was born and raised in Ireland, in Glann in the Parish of Kilmovee, County Mayo. She was the third of seven children. Below is a map of Ireland, with County Mayo (from Wikimedia Commons) in green. My Grandma Bea lived in the eastern part of the County, not near the Atlantic Ocean. Her family were farmers.

She was born on March 1, 1902. Here's the family house. This picture of the home was taken some time in the late 1930s. It had TWO rooms. In the 1901 cenus, before she was born, her maternal grandmother is recorded as the head of family there. Her parents lived there as well as her two oldest siblings; Grandma Bea wasn't born yet. There were some other outbuildings on the farm, too. However, by the 1911 census....

...ten people were living there! Her parents, six children, AND both grandmothers, Mary Harrington, age 73, and Mary McGuinn, age 78. Can you imagine? Ten people in a two room house? Oh my! Here's a layout map of the house and grounds of the Harrington property from one of my Harrington cousins in the UK.

Below are pictures of my Grandma Bea's mother, Hanoria (McGuinn) Harrington, taken in the late 1930s.

On both the 1901 and 1911 Irish censuses, the grandmothers are recorded as speaking Irish and English. Also my grandmother's father, Patrick Harrington is recorded that way, too. Grandma Bea said the only thing she really remembered in Irish was, "Shut the door." I thought that was such a funny thing to remember! But old people get chilly easily, and I guess with six children in the house, they were frequently having to tell the children to keep the door shut! My Grandma must have heard it so much it's what she remembered in her older years. 

Here are images of the family the 1901 and 1911 censuses, from census.nationalarchives.ie

More to come about Grandma at a future date...

Maria Margaret "Peggy" Kilgariff McLaughlin

 Maria Margaret "Peggy" Kilgariff McLaughlin

My Mom's Early Years 

My mom was born in Brooklyn, NY. She was born in the Methodist Episcopal Hospital. (As was my dad, myself, and two other of my siblings!)

(From Hometalk the Star, Brooklyn, Fri., 24 Aug 1928, pg 14; from  Newspapers.com va Ancestry)

(Photo in the possession of author; professional photo by Valeche, Brooklyn  

Her mom, Margaret "Pearl" Charles McCann, was born to Irish immigrants, but her dad, John Francis Kilgariff, was born in Ireland and came to American in 1920. Her parents were older. Her mother was 42, her father 38. She had no siblings. She lived in a 4-story brownstone at 91 Fourth Avenue, on the edge of Park Slope, Brooklyn:

(Courtesey NYC Municipal Archives)(via 1940s.nyc)

Her aunt and uncle and five children lived on the bottom two floors. Her grandparents lived on a floor. I think she and her parents lived on the top floor.

The view from the backyard. You can see the fences separating yards.

She and her family attended St. Augustine Church in Park Slope at 116 Sixth Avenue. She was baptized there, went to elementary school there, confirmed there, and was married there. 

(From http://www.nycago.org/Organs/Bkln/html/StAugustineRC.html)

Notice my grandmother's gray hair! She was 42 when my mom was born. And my mom has no hair (just like we kids did and my children, too)

In front of the house on Fourth Avenue. I love my grandmother's coat (raccoon?) and flapper hat.

Toddling on Fourth Avenue, below. Further below, mom with her tricycle by the steps outside her house.

Elementary school picture, but I don't know what grade. About 2nd? 3rd? 

(Family snapshots in the possession of the author)

Sisters in Telegraph Service

Sisters in Telegraph Service

This blogpost is part of the challenge of Amy Johnson Crow, genealogist's "52 Ancestors, 52 Weeks." I post sporadically. The prompt was "service."

My grandmother, Margaret ("Pearl") Charles McCann Kilgariff, and her sister, Mary ("Minnie" and later, "Mamie") Catherine McCann Holzmann were just under 

3 & 1/2 years apart. 

Aunt Mamie was the first child of Joseph McCann and Catherine Sherlock. She was born in Belfast, Ireland, on 4 August 1882. Her baptismal certificate:

 

Image of certificate rec'd from her daughter, Gerry Holzmann Cassidy

The family emigrated to America in that same year; specifically, to New York City.

Then my grandmother was born, on 11 December 1885. Or, possibly the 12th. See the note she wrote on the side of her birth certificate:

Certificate in the possession of myself, Carol Neilson, granddaughter

Here is a family photo of the two sisters together when they were young. I would guesstimate about the age of 7-10? Maybe younger? It's not the best because it's a photo of a picture on fabric in a frame. The photo on frabric is, we think, from the late 1800s. It's in a fragile state. My grandmother is on the right. Aunt Mamie is on the left.

(Framed photo in the possession of Joan McLaughlin, 

granddaughter of Margaret)

Both sisters went to work after eighth grade, and eventually ended up as telegraph operators for Western Union. One thing they got to do was work at the Jersey shore, operating the telegraph offices in the hotels. They would send out messages for customers, and pass on messages they received. They also had to write important incoming news on a chalkboard outside the telegraph office. Aunt Mamie was working when she received the news that President McKinley had been shot, on September 6, 1901. 

This is a picture of my grandma, looking very much in fashion of the late 1800s-early 1900s. This is they style of clothing Margaret and Mary would have worn around 1901.

(Photo in the possession of myself, Carol Neilson, granddaughter)

In later years Margaret moved into other departments at Western Union. Her sister, Mamie, stopped working after she married and had children. However, she still knew her Morse code. When one of her sons was learning Morse code and would practice in front of her she would correct him when he made an error.

SOLO

SOLO

Some of my posts have been part of Amy Johnson Crow's genealogy challenge: 52 weeks, 52 ancestors. I participate lightly. This week's challenge is "solo" and here's my family connection to that word.

My mother, Margaret "Peggy" (Kilgariff) McLaughlin took flying lessons after high school! She was living in Brooklyn, NY, at the time and the lessons were taken at Donovan-Hughes Airport in Staten Island, which no longer exists. Below is a map of where the airport was on Staten Island. It's about dead center on the map.

Map image from http://www.airfields-freeman.com/NY/Airfields_NY_NY_StatenI.htm

On September 28, 1948, she soloed! I don't know what newspaper this is from. 

Below is her pilot's license, front and back. 

Funny thing about my mom, she didn't like to fly (although she would). She said she was fine if she were the pilot, but not as a passenger.

As a pilot she also had to have a medical certification, like a clearance, to make sure she was medically fit to fly a plane:

These pictures aren't of her when she soloed, but within a couple of years of it.

When I was in high school I wore her pilot's jacket regularly. I wish I had taken a picture of it. It was taupe on the outside, and red on the inside. It zippered up the front, and had an elasticized waist. It came to the hips.

My parents met because of their love of flying. Dad (John McLaughlin) was working at the same airport to pay for lessons at the same time my mother was taking her lessons. I don't know when he soloed. When we were kids he took up flying again and got his license back. I flew with him at least once, over the New York area!

(All documents and photos are in my possession, except for the first image.)